Last for the manufacture of low shoes



May 30, 1933. c BEHRENS' 1,912,028

LAST FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF LOW SHOES Filed May 21, 1931 INVEN TD1 Cam Eff/KENS /%O V fiTTOyeNsfs.

Patented May 30, 1933 UNITED STATES CARL BEHREN S, 013 ALFELD-ON -TI-IE-LEI1\TE, G'EIRIIYIIANY LAST FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF, LOW SHOES Application filed May 21, 1931, Serial No. 538,940, and in Germany May 23, 1930.

The present invention relates to a last without instep. In order to insure tight fitting of the uppers above the ankle-joint and instep, the sides of the lasts of the type at present in universal use are hollowed out between the joint and the instep line. However, this hollow cannot be very deep, owing to the impossibility of producing it with the existing kinds of milling devices, and the result is that the leather on the lateral surfaces of the instep portion is not drawn in sufiiciently towards the inside of the shoe and the edge of the opening does not fit tightly around the foot, especially in low shoes and pumps.

It is the object of the invention to provide a last which possesses either a very thin instep portion bound by approximately plane lateral surfaces or none at all, according to whether high or low shoes are to be produced, and the cross section of which through the ankle-portion shows a convex curve everywhere.

The new last according to the invention is illustrated by way of example in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side view thereof;

Figure 2 is a plan thereof;

Figures 3 and 4 are cross sections on the line 33, of Fig. 1, the dotted lines indicating the instep portion of an ordinary last;

Figure 5 is a cross section of the last showing a rib attached to the instep; and

Fig. 6 is a cross section of an ordinary last in the instep portion.

Referring to the drawing, a is the toe portion, 6 the heel portion and c the joint portion of the last. The dotted line indicates the instep and top of the last in a last of 5' the regular type while the dots and dashes in Fig. 1 represent the leather put over the last.

In order to keep the edge 9 as short as possible during the production of the shoe to insure neat and tight fitting of the uppers around the ankle portion, the portion of the last forming the instep d and the front part of the top is removed to such an extent 1 that the body of the last at z above the joint does not extend above the edge g of the opening of the shoe and the cross sectionof the last discloses at this point everywhere a convex rounding and not a slightlycurved cavity. As Fig. etshows, the leather will thus lie flat, i. e. almost horizontally, on the upper surface 2' of the last and is quite tight at this point. Fig. 3 indicates how, with the use of the ordinary last, the leather on the; edge of the shoe opening isbent-up, i. e. stretched, by the top portion of the last so that it necessarily will lie onlyloosely aroundthe foot in a finished shoe and not produce a tight and neat fit around the ankle.

Lasts intended for high shoes or shoes having a high vamp may be prepared according to Fig. 5 which shows a last carrying a thin rib d which, viewed from the side, corresponds to the instep line cl of an ordinary last. When a last is used as shown in Fig. 5, the leather will hug it closely, i. e., the leather, following its natural tendency, can freely enter the corners it between the last and the rib d Without touching the wood so that the best possible fit is insured. The cross section of an ordinary last as shown in Fig. 6 reveals at a glance the impossibility of attaining a good fit around the ankle.

Should special shoe shapes require a su port for the uppers at the beginning of t e instep, a hornlike elevation or attachment 7 may be provided on the surface of the last.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is: r

1. A last having forepart and heel portions merging into one another at the instep portion, said merged portion being of approximately ovoid form in cross section, and the upper portion of the instep portion of said PATENT- oFFicE last being provided with curved recesses at said last being provided with curved recesses at each side thereof of sufiicient depth to cause the upper side edges of the last at the, instep portion to be disposed below the top of a normal low shoe placed on the last, said last having a comparatively thin longitudinally extended rib projecting upward along the center line of the top surface of the last.

3. A last having forepart and heel portions merging into one another at the instep portion, said merged portion being of approximately ovoid form in cross section, and the upper portion of the instep portion of said last being provided with curved recesses at each side thereof of sufficient depth to cause the upper side edges of the last at the instep portion to be disposed below-the top of a normal low shoe placed on the last, the forward portion of the curvature of said edges forming a projecting portion extending slightly above the normal shoe opening at the ]L1I1C- ture portion of the instep and toe portions of the last.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification at Bremen, Germany, this 5th day of May, 1931.

CARL BEHRENS. 

